


Moving On, Moving In

by IntrovertedHappiness



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Moving In Together, Moving On, Platonic Relationships, Post-Apocalypse, kinda slkdfj, others talk a bit/are mentioned but :O
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29263026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrovertedHappiness/pseuds/IntrovertedHappiness
Summary: Obviously, Taako was not going to stick around on this floating hunk they decided to call the base for longer than necessary. With the apocalypse over and the world saved(thank you, thank you), he had no reason to hang out forever. He'd buy a house- a big one, probably, just to show it off. He'd live with Lup and Kravitz and Barry and whoever the fuck. It was just... harder to put those ideas into action than he thought it would be.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	Moving On, Moving In

Obviously, Taako was not going to stick around on this floating hunk they decided to call the base for longer than necessary. The first week after the almost-apocalypse was fine, it was pretty okay. It was nice to have the gang back together (Lucretia, notably, was absent for most of it. Not like Taako was gonna say anything about _that_ mess). It was nice to have Barry and Davenport grumble about coffee in the morning. It was nice to have Lup with him, to hear her voice. It was nice to include calls to Kravitz here and there, between his busy schedule of cleaning up the astral plane from the attack.

It was all great. Happy fun times, whatever. But Taako was itching to get out of this place.

Which is why he had bought himself a plot of land and hired a bunch of carpenters with the almost _overwhelming_ amount of gold he now possessed. Kravitz was the only one who knew, simply because he and Taako had gone to meet the builders of this soon-to-be-house. He lurked in the background while the workers and Taako chatted about plans, and brought him back up to the moonbase when everything was sorted out.

Taako liked Kravitz. Not just because he was hot as hell or because he was the only one who seemed to listen to Taako’s side of things nowadays (though that was a bonus)- Taako liked that Kravitz wouldn’t push for answers like most of his family. He didn’t question when Taako added a few extra bedrooms to the house plans. He didn’t comment when Taako muttered over paperwork about how big the living room needed to be.

He didn’t even bat an eye when Taako had a panic attack after nearly slipping up and sharing his plans with Merle. Kravitz simply held him close, with comfort and love and all the things Taako had missed, and let him cry. Reassured him with words _and_ actions.

Who fuckin’ _did_ that? Kravitz was a literal angel (of death, but technicalities aside).

The group on the base was getting a bit antsy after a month, finally catching up with the emotions Taako had felt since the beginning.

Davenport was the first to announce his leaving, and he did it over breakfast.

“I can’t s- stay here much longer,” he said, fiddling with his fork. “I- I- I missed you all, but I wanna get back out there. I think I’m gonna buy a- a boat.”

If anyone noticed Taako tense at the mention of leaving, they didn’t comment on it.

“I get that, Cap’n,” Merle said. “I’ve been thinkin’ about getting back out there too. Imagine this-” Merle leaned back in his chair and spread his arms wide as if gesturing to something huge. “ _Merle’s Extreme Teen Adventures_! I’m gonna prepare the next generation for life and shit, it’ll be great.”

For all the laughing that went around the table, things settled back down quite easily. Within the next morning, Davenport had moved completely off the moonbase and down to live near a port. It wasn’t quite the same with one of them gone, but Taako didn’t really care. He survived without these chucklefucks for years, he can do it again.

Right?

Magnus had been bouncing on and off the base for quite a while now. One day, he came back and said with certainty,

“I’m gonna rebuild Raven’s Roost.”

It wasn’t the end. Logically, Taako knew this. Merle and Magnus moved out around the same time, taking their belongings with them. But he still had Barry and Lup and Kravitz and, fuck it, even Angus.

Well, uh…

“And the business side of things is going great, as well!” Angus said excitedly, swinging his legs from where he sat on the stool in the kitchen. Taako was making cookies- stress-baking, but Angus didn’t need to know. “Now that people know I worked as a Seeker here, they really want to hire me! And I know a bunch of magic, thanks to you, so all the detective work is bound to be much easier!”

“That’s great, Anges,” Taako said. The cookie dough he was mixing was almost done and ready to be shaped. It was hard to focus on that, though. Angus was leaving the moonbase. Where the fuck would he even go? He can’t own property, Angus is a _literal child_.

“Where the fuck are you living?” Taako asked, interrupting Angus in the middle of his sentence. Angus trailed off, eyebrows furrowed.

“I mean,” Angus said, rubbing the back of his neck and fidgeting on the stool. “I don’t- I don’t have a lot of stuff with me, sir. And inns and such are easy enough to come by. Madam Direct- I mean, Miss. Lucretia _did_ pay me a lot to work for her, so I have plenty enough to find places to sta-”

“No,” Taako broke in. He stopped mixing the dough, putting the bowl back down on the counter.

“No?” Angus repeated, confused. “Sir, I-”

“Listen, Angus,” Taako said and Angus actually seemed engaged, so Taako hurried along. “I’ve got, uh- I got a house being built near Goldcliff. Not too close to the city, because fuck people, amirite? But, uh, uh, it’s gonna be kinda roomy. And I’m not sayin’ that you, like, _gotta_ come move in but I am saying that I will tell Magnus that you’re planning to live by yourself and he will make sure you _don’t_. If you get my drift.”

“Your drift being that… you want _m- me_ to move in with you?” Angus said, jaw dropping as he connected the pieces together. “Seriously, sir?”

“Want is a strong word,” Taako said, flicking some flour towards Angus. “What I am _saying_ is that I’ve got extra space and I’m not gonna be responsible if you get murdered in some shitty inn.”

“I would love to live with you!” Angus said, tearing up. He rushed off his stool to hug Taako around the middle. Taako scowled, pushing back and pointing towards the drawer where the rolling pin was stored. “Go get me the rolling pin for these cookies, Ango. Hurry it up, too, if you’re gonna be in my house, you’re gonna have to be quick in the kitchen.”

Taako smiled when Angus turned. But little boy wonder didn’t need to see that.

* * *

“We’re gonna have to start thinking about the places to stay,” Lup said casually, floating over the coffee table. “You know, once I have a body again and stuff. I know me and Bar are gonna be workin’ for the Raven Queen, but I am not keen on living in the astral planes with all the ghouls and ghosties.”

“You are a ghostie, so I don’t know what your bias is about-”

“That’s _different_ ,” Lup said, forming a mage hand to throw a pillow at Taako’s head. He dodged expertly. “I want a physical house! I want to walk in and be like ‘wow, this is fancy and not a magic floating ship in the sky!’”

Taako adjusted his position on the couch. He still hadn’t told Lup or Barry about his new house. It was almost finished, too. There were dozens of workers designing this house, all handsomely paid. He’d have to go shopping for furniture, soon. Kravitz said he would help with that, and they had to bring Angus along anyway to pick out stuff for his room. There was room in the house for Lup and Barry- Taako specifically had a room for them built into the plans. He had a room for _everyone_ built into the plans.

But asking was _so much harder_ than planning.

He shouldn’t be worried about it. He and Lup had lived together their whole lives. Almost, at least, if you didn’t count the past decade or so…

And _so what if_ Taako was counting the decade? So _what_ if he thought Lup would reject wanting to live with him? If she wanted a different house. If she needed to stay away from him. If she didn’t want to be around him, to talk to him, to _share her fucking plans with him-_

“Taako, are you even listening?” Lup asked.

“Oh yeah,” Taako flubbed easily. “Yeah, sure I was.”

“Tell me what I just said then,” she prompted and Taako could feel the nervous sweat bead up on his forehead.

“Uh, you don’t wanna live on the Starblaster?”

“That’s what I said _two minutes ago_ , Koko!” Lup whined, lifting the mage hand again to poke at his cheek. He swatted her away. “Seriously, Taako, are you good? You look out of it.”

“I’m chill,” Taako said. “Just zoned out for a sec. Tell me about your house plans or whatever.”

“You’re not taking me seriously,” Lup said.

“No, I am!” Taako said, sitting up. “I just got zoned out, it’s _chill_.”

“Taako, I just-” she sighed, form sinking to the floor. “I love Lucretia and all, but it’s not good for- for Barry, at the very least, to stay here much longer. The mental health factors of this place are off the charts for him. And, to be honest, I don’t know why you’re still waiting around here like the opportunity to go somewhere else is just gonna pop up at you.”

“I’m not waiting around,” Taako said, a touch annoyed. “I have plans.”

“Uh-huh?” Lup asked. “like what?”

The words _“I’ve got a house nearly built”_ were at the tip of his tongue. _“I want you to move in with me”_ was stuck in his throat. “ _You and Barry and Angus and Kravitz.”_ And fuck, Taako hadn’t even asked Kravitz about living together yet. The house was made with him in mind as well. The big master bedroom, fit for them and anything Kravitz wanted to bring or buy or…

“That’s what I thought,” Lup said because Taako hadn’t spoken at all. He clamped his mouth shut, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Taako, you are my whole heart. I want you to be happy. But this…” Lup gestured around to the room they were currently in. “This isn’t healthy for you, staying here. I can tell you’re not happy with staying on the base. It’s making you uncomfortable, just like it’s making Barry uncomfortable. I want you to think about leaving, at least, okay?”

“Okay,” Taako agreed, mind screaming.

Lup floated over to the hallway, towards the room she and Barry had been staying in.

“Barry and I have a meeting with someone to look at houses on this coming Monday,” Lup said. “You can come if you want, it’s at ten A.M.”

And she was gone.

Fuck.

 _Fuck_.

* * *

The house was built on top of a hill. There was a front yard, bigger than anything Taako had ever had in the past, and a porch. The grand tour of the house took a while. The workers showed Taako everything they had done, preened under his compliments, and basked in the money they were given. When they finally left, Taako collapsed onto the floor of the empty living room and breathed.

Everything was a decent size. The workers _had_ done a wonderful job with every last little detail. Two master bedrooms, the room for Angus, four guest bedrooms, a number of other areas, and a few bathrooms here and there. Taako had never owned anything this expensive in his life and it was all _his_. _He_ bought this, with _his own_ money. But it was hard to wrap his head around living here. Especially without any of the furniture.

Barry and Lup were going to look for houses on Monday. It was Friday afternoon. His time was running out to invite them to stay. The empty rooms seemed to taunt him about it, walls too far apart and floor too barren. He sat at the entrance of what was supposed to be Lup and Barry’s bedroom and his whole body shook.

There were two versions of himself in his head. The Taako who grew up alone and thought this house was a perfect size for just him. The Taako who thought he didn’t need or want anyone else. The Taako without a sister or a friend, who lived on the run, who learned to light fires on cold nights for himself.

And there was the other Taako. The one who had Lup by his side, and then the crew, and then Kravitz. The one who would never admit to caring for Angus but obviously did. The one who knew he was loved and cared for and basked in it because fuck if he didn’t deserve it after everything.

He could switch between these Taako’s at will. From cold and uncaring and unloved, to attached and cherished and connected. The first one denied that Lup wanted anything to do with him after all that had happened. Because she had left, because she was seemingly never there in the first place. The second one needed her like he needed air. There was no in-between.

Taako wished, sometimes, that there was a way to bridge the gap in his brain.

* * *

“It’s not that I’m scared,” Taako said, pulling his shirt from over his head and tossing it across the room. “That’d be ridiculous. I just don’t- it’s just like- _ugh_. Ya know?”

“Not really,” Kravitz said. “But I’m trying.”

“And I invited _Angus_ to live with me,” Taako said, kicking off his boots. Kravitz wrapped his arms around Taako’s waist, pressing a kiss to his shoulders. “Angus! Before Lup and Barry!”

“Angus can’t buy himself a home, though,” Kravitz said, holding on tightly. They sat on the bed and Taako turned to press his face into Kravitz’s neck. “Lup and Barry can.”

“I don’t want them to,” Taako said, hands twitching. “That’s fucked up, right? I’m just- just _hoarding_ them.”

“I don’t think it’s, um, fucked up,” Kravitz said, with obvious air quotes. Taako snorted into his neck. “I think you just don’t want to be alone right now. That’s okay.”

“Mh,” Taako said instead of answering. They laid down on the bed, Taako held close in Kravitz’s arms. “Fuck, this is so fucked.”

“Wanting to be around people?” Kravitz said, sounding confused.

“Yeah,” Taako said. “I just- I was alone and now I’m not and now I never want to be. That’s messed up. It’s weird.”

“No,” Kravitz said gently. “I don’t think so.” They paused in the silence, Taako’s heavy breathing the only real sound in the room. When Kravitz continued, his voice was softer than ever, almost as if he was afraid of what might happen if he spoke.

“When we went on our first date, at the Chug n’ Squeeze-”

“You consider _that_ our first date?” Taako wheezed. “That’s like! Date number negative two!”

“Shush,” Kravitz said, smiling against Taako’s hair. “When we went there, you told me that you, uh. You worked for the bureau because you were worried nobody else would have you.”

“Well, yeah,” Taako said, smally. “Duh.”

“I think it’s the same now,” Kravitz said. “In a different way, of course. But… correct me if I’m wrong, but at that time, you were afraid of being alone. And right now, it’s the same.”

“I have people now,” Taako broke in. “Lup’s back, I’ve got you and Barry and-”

“Listen,” Kravitz hushed. “The fear of being alone doesn’t come from not having people around. It comes from anxiety about being left. Being abandoned. And I know Lup didn’t abandon you- not intentionally- but you were still alone. Especially after the memory wipe. You need her with you but- Taako, I think you’re trying to push her away.”

“I’m _not_ ,” Taako said, sitting up suddenly. Kravitz scooted back a bit to give him room.

“Not on purpose,” Kravitz hurriedly said. “But think about it. You haven’t invited her or Barry to live with you, but you want to. You’re not telling her how you’re _feeling_ \- please don’t look at me like that, love, she talked to me about it. She’s worried about you.”

Taako gripped at the sheets.

“Things change,” Kravitz said softly, hovering a hand over Taako’s, looking up at him. “People change. You’ve been through a lot of shit, Taako, I’m not gonna lie about it. You are not the same person you were when you came here but I-”

Kravitz sighed, finally placing his hand on Taako’s. Taako loosened his grip on the sheets and held Kravitz’s hand.

“I think you're scared,” Kravitz said and it hit like a freight train. “You might not want to admit it, but your time alone impacted you. It changed you. That doesn’t mean you have to push people away, though. Not Lup or Barry or the rest of your family. Or- or me, Taako, I promise I will never let you feel that _alone_ again.”

Taako let out a breath, laying back down in the bed.

“Kravitz?” he asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.

“Hm?”

“You wanna move in with me?”

* * *

The porch light was bright, flickering with new power. Taako sat on a chair he had stolen from Magnus’s old room on the moonbase. It was the only piece of furniture in the whole house and it wasn’t even _in_ the house, technically. Just on the porch.

It was Monday morning. “Morning” used loosely, of course, because the sun hadn’t even risen yet. It would soon, if the colors on the horizon had anything to say about it. But it didn’t really matter.

After his talk with Kravitz last night, Taako couldn’t sleep or meditate. He and Kravitz devised a plan throughout the night. A course of action, per se. They had gotten this chair out here just to ease Taako’s nerves about waiting. Kravitz had gone back to the base to wake up Barry and get Lup from whatever she did at night instead of sleeping. Taako usually wasn’t one to rush into plans, but time was running out to talk to Lup and Barry about moving in.

There was the sound of fabric tearing and in the middle of the yard, Kravitz stepped through a rift in space and time. He helped Barry, who had obviously just woken up, through and Lup floated across after. With a wave of his hand, Kravitz closed the rift and stepped awkwardly off to the side, smiling reassuringly at Taako.

“House?” Lup asked, hovering closer. Barry followed after, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“House,” Taako said, hoping the nerves didn’t show through his voice. He straightened his shoulders and stood up. “My house, actually.”

“Your house?” Barry asked, adjusting his glasses. “Since when?”

“Natch, I had it built,” Taako said, beckoning them to follow. “Look how cool this shit is, my dudes. The kitchen is _huge_ and I’ve got like… three floors. Ton of extra space for whatever the fuck I want.” He opened the front door with a wave of his hand. Lup, Barry, and Kravitz followed him inside.

“I don’t mean to brag or anything,” Taako said, grinning over his shoulder. It kind of felt like an act, showing off the house. He used to do that with _Sizzle It Up!_ A stage persona, you could call it. “But this is the coolest thing I’ve ever owned and it’s mine and you guys are gonna get a super shitty house compared to this.”

“Unless…” Kravitz said, prompting him. Taako fidgeted in place slightly and turned back around to face the three of them.

“Unless,” he said, giving Kravitz a stink eye. Kravitz snickered. “Unless you guys wanna move in or whatever. I’ve got the space and uh- uh- you might as well save some money while we’re at it, right? Besides, I’ve already got this whole master bedroom for you guys and-”

“Taako,” Lup interrupted. “Seriously?”

“Um, yeah, goofus,” Taako said, wincing slightly at his voice cracking. “I mean. If you don’t want to, that’s, uh, that’s chill, but. You know. Big house and all.”

“You seriously had fuckin huge house and didn’t tell me!” Lup said, laughing. “Holy shit! Of fuckin’ course I wanna move here- wait, wait, lemme see the kitchen-”

Lup zoomed past him, despite not knowing where the kitchen is. A few doors slammed open. Taako’s heart was hammering in his chest. He looked over at Barry, who was looking around at the room they were in.

“To be honest,” Barry said. “It’d be kinda weird not being in the same house as you. We were already planning to let you move in with us, bud. So like, um. Sure, why not.”

“ _Yeah_?” Taako said, laughing out his nerves. “ Yeah, okay. If you wanna like, explore. That’s fine. Ango’s gonna live here too, but we’ve got like- a fuckton of rooms. I kinda already picked out a master bedroom for you and Lup though so? Sucks to be you, if you wanted to pick.”

There was a delighted laugh from somewhere deeper into the house. No doubt Lup had found the kitchen.

“How long have you been holding out on us?” Barry asked.

“Deffo not, uh, not too long,” Taako said faux-causal.

“Uh-huh,” Barry said knowingly. “We’re glad to move in, bud. I don’t think no is even an option.”

“Psht, natch,” Taako said. Kravitz smiled at him over Barry’s head. “Who _wouldn’t_ want to move in with me?”

**Author's Note:**

> OOF. turns out this has been in my docs since last summer, whoops. hope you all enjoyed :O! you can find me on tumblr [@barry-j-blupjeans](https://barry-j-blupjeans.tumblr.com/) come hang out!


End file.
